The POLARIS HOLDING developed with an idea of several people in Odessa, Ukraine:
- a transport specialist
- a super specialist in local law business practice
- an experienced specialist in international trade and law
- a customs broker
The main aim of the creating the Holding was to safely improve knowledge, skills and experience of those people and to go ahead in business which they had performed for the previous (pre-Perestroyka) years. I.e. transportation, forwarding, handling paperwork, customs clearance, etc.
It was long ago, in February of 1992. Since then a number of organizational changes took place, but the idea and its implementation are still the same.
In 1992 there was company «Promtex». In 1995/96 forwarding company «Polaris», and trucking company «Ukryuzhtranzit» appeared as well as customs clearance company «Promtex» three years later did. All these companies are now together forming the Polaris Holding which offers the clients their services, their knowledge, skills, qualification, local market knowledge, and willingness to serve clients in severe market conditions.
Many changes took place during the lifetime of Polaris, but the main characteristic features have always been : aspiration for innovations and willingness to implement new market trends much more quicker than our competitors.
We have been THE FIRST when:
- Began using WESTERN TRUCKS and trailers for inland haulage sea containers in Ukraine. This is the standard now, the feature of the high-quality freight-forwarder here.
- Rejected all other fields in freight-forwarding and devoted 100% of our time and skills to improvements in easy handling cargo of our clients in SEA CONTAINERS.
- Started to buy extremely expensive WESTERN INSURANCE for all our freight forwarder’s liability. Till now only a few forwarders in Ukraine doing the same.
- Started CUSTOMS CLEARANCE in our sea ports for cargo in containers for clients, based wherever in Ukraine. Many companies are doing it now. But we were the first indeed.
- Provided our drivers with MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS. Now this is a standard here.
- Began to use 6-axle road-trains to carry HEAVY CTRS.
- Started using SUPER-LIGHT-AND-LOW container-CHASSES to carry heavy and high containers. Many companies are doing same now here, but we were the FIRST.
- Began carrying dangerous IMO cargoes in containers with all the necessary documents which our authorities were able to invent. Only a few freight forwarders and truckers do same till now.
- Introduced system of keeping track of our freights through the Internet and switched to Internet as much electronic communication with our clients as possible. Till now it’s not a widespread practice in Ukraine, unfortunately.
Throughout all these years we were realizing our responsibility for our clients CTRs, our duty to make the transportation of our client cargoes flow with no any problems, i.e. smoothly, like in a PIPELINE. But this pipeline shouldn’t be stiff, built once and forever. Its position should be changed by us all the time, the speed of flow and the characteristics of the movement should be changed by us depending on the market and local conditions, cost-efficiency and total effectiveness of work with our clients’ containers.
Our main rule has always been: «Drive the client wherever he needs, even if he does not know where he needs to go».
We realize that the client often cannot react quickly enough to the changes in the sphere of our work. That’s why we are obliged to serve our clients in such a way that any changes in the sphere of transportation and response for local changes are immediately implemented by us. We are even not always asking for the clients’ permission to do that.
